This morning as I saw on Twitter that Team Novo Nordisk received a wildcard invitation to participate in the Abu Dhabi Tour I went back to when I was a kid and thought about this!!! Then I acted my age and thought about how great Team Novo Nordisk racing in Abu Dhabi is for the citizens of Abu Dhabi that are living with diabetes. In the United Arab Emirates one in five citizens are living with diabetes. When Team Novo Nordisk is racing at the Tour de France in 2021 it is estimated that over one billion dollars will be spent on medical costs when it comes to diabetes. Team Novo Nordisk will race to the best of their abilities at the Abu Dhabi Tour and as always the fans will be inspired by a team that is racing with diabetes. Team Novo Nordisk is a feel good story, yes the stories of team members beating the odds and racing with diabetes is amazing but what about the stories of the fans. That is what makes the team unlike any other team in the world!! A five year old living with diabetes that sees Team Novo Nordisk race is inspired to change the world, a few hundred meters away is a forty year old person that has had diabetes for twenty years and is still in denial, he is also inspired and has a new outlook on life. Below is the official press release from Team Novo Nordisk.

Team Novo Nordisk Receives Wildcard Invitation to theAbu Dhabi Tour

Team Novo Nordisk announced today that it received a wildcard invitation to next month’s Abu Dhabi Tour. The team is delighted to receive its third RCS wildcard invitation for the 2017 season and plans to bring a motivated squad for its Abu Dhabi Tour debut. Reactions from Team Novo Nordisk CEO and co-founder Phil Southerland and General Manager Vassili Davidenko below:

Team Novo Nordisk CEO and Co-founder Phil Southerland:It is almost impossible to accurately express our gratitude and excitement in receiving our third World Tour wildcard invitation from RCS in the past seven days. Racing at the Abu Dhabi Tour allows us to continue spreading our mission of inspiring, educating and empowering everyone affected by diabetes on a global level.

An estimated one-in-five people in the United Arab Emirates have diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, globally five million people die each year from diabetes and its complications. The WHO stresses a healthy diet combined with regular physical activity to reduce these risks. A World Tour race with the stature of the Abu Dhabi Tour serves as a platform to spread this message of a healthy, active lifestyle to all the people whoneedmotivation to get out and exercise.

Team Novo Nordisk General Manager Vassili Davidenko:This invitation is a true honor. The Abu Dhabi Tour will serve as Team Novo Nordisk’s second World Tour stage race, which shows our continued progress and steady growth as an all-diabetes squad. In its third edition, the Abu Dhabi Tour is quickly becoming one ofthestandout early season races. Like all RCS events, it is well organized and this particularly race features a dynamic race profile with several sprint stages and some middle mountains to test early season form. We plan to bring an experienced, aggressive squad who will be seeking results.

​OUR MISSIONThe Team Novo Nordisk mission is to inspire, educate and empower people affected by diabetes. We ride. We run. We swim. We race to change diabetes.